Twelfth Night
by tswheaton
Summary: The Doctor absolutely, positively needs - something - and he's absolutely positive he last saw it in Sarah Jane's attic...


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**Doctor Who:  
Twelfth Night  
**by  
tswheaton

© TRAVIS S WHEATON, 24 December 2014  
Australian Writers Guild Assoc Member No.12444  
Geelong, AU

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**EXT. 1313 Bannerman Road**

An old two storey house sits abandoned amid a wild garden. The attic windows atop the house are lightly shrouded with vines.

Suddenly a light can be seen from within, flashing rhythmically before fading away.

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**INT. 1313 Bannerman Road, Attic**

The cosy attic is in shambles. There are packing boxes scattered here and there, but the job has only been half done, with an intriguing mess of artifacts still scattered around the room.

A large blue box stands in one corner, a light atop flashing one last time before falling silent, leaving the room in semi darkness, with only dappled light coming in through the lightly curtained windows.

One of the double doors opens, and a voice from inside calls out.

THE DOCTOR  
Just a second!

The door appears to shut itself, before re-opening moments later as a grey headed man runs out, head down staring at something in his hand, whilst still avoiding all of the obstacles around him.

THE DOCTOR  
Don't worry - new façade. You'll  
like it. It's a bit like the first one.

The Doctor stops briefly on his journey around the room to shake his head, and waggle a finger.

THE DOCTOR  
Well not the very first one, but the  
one you used to know – originally.

The tall grey haired man stops again and looks around the room without taking any of it in, before holding up the small device in his hand to the filtered light coming in through the window.

He continues talking half over his shoulder, towards the partially open attic door.

THE DOCTOR  
When I say originally, I mean when  
you were passing yourself off as  
Lavinia. You know what I mean?  
Of course you know what I mean.  
You're the intrepid reporter. At least  
the nose is better this time round.  
What do you think of the nose?

He doesn't appear to notice the lack of response.

The Doctor delicately places the object on top of a stack of boxes, then starts to flit about the room, picking things up, putting them to his ear, giving them an occasional lick.

THE DOCTOR  
I was a bit worried there for a while,  
my Sarah Jane… You know how you  
get worried sometimes, about things.  
Worried things may be coming to an  
end… But now –

He points dramatically at his new face.

THE DOCTOR  
Everything's just tikitiboo, thanks to  
the Time Lords, of all people! You  
remember the Time Lords?

He briefly stops and stands still. The only thing moving is his eyes. Then he continues pacing.

THE DOCTOR  
I saved them. With a little help  
from me. I saved Gallifrey. I did it,  
Sarah! We defied everyone!  
Daleks, Time Lords - I did it our way!

Finding what he has been looking for, he doubles back to the artifact that he left on the boxes.

THE DOCTOR  
I don't know… I don't know if it was  
the right thing. Right from the very  
beginning, the Gallifreyans learned  
the hard way that to live forever was  
a curse. So they put a limit on how  
many lives one man could live. One  
life-time - that's just not enough time  
to get things done. But 13 life times…  
13 was the number…

Fuddling with the two items, Sarah Jane's artifact, and his own, he continues.

THE DOCTOR  
And I've lived all of them. Even  
old Tooth and Curls. It's ok – I know  
he was your favourite! But the flame  
that burns twice as bright burns half  
as long, and I was on fire! I left  
Gallifrey to see the universe, and it  
came at the cost of my lives. Lives  
that should have lasted a millennia  
each, squandered in mere centuries.  
But it was worth it. Every second!

The Doctor has stopped fiddling, and is crouching in the middle of the room, seeing things that aren't there in his mind's eye.

THE DOCTOR  
The worlds I have seen… The people  
I have met… I wouldn't change it,  
Sarah Jane. Take you and I! From  
Wessex Castle to the Birth of the  
Daleks, the far depths of Zeta Minor to  
the Mandragora Helix! And the Krillitane…

Still crouching, the Doctor slowly turns on his heel…

THE DOCTOR  
But then… I knew the time was  
coming. I knew even I couldn't cheat  
death forever. No matter how hard  
we might try, death comes to us all.

The Doctor stops…

Its now obvious in his face that he has realised that he is alone, and what that ultimately means.

THE DOCTOR  
Even when I tried to do the right  
thing… the noble thing… they wouldn't  
let me die. They brought me back.  
But for what? Another few millennia  
of wandering the universe, getting my  
hands dirty where no one else dares?  
I was ready. I was at peace. I'd lived  
my lives, and my time had come.  
Or so I thought.

The Doctor stands back up, now holding the assembled artifacts – they have formed a small ornate candle-holder. Returning them to the packing box, the Doctor silently walks inside the TARDIS, then reappears a moment later, carrying a small crystal.

He places the crystal into the candle-holder, and gently rubs it with his fingers, causing it to glow with a fierce intensity.

THE DOCTOR  
Now here I am, not knowing who  
I am any more, what the future will  
hold for a Time Lord living beyond  
his used-by-date… The Master went  
insane, then turned into a woman…  
Borusa went power hungry.  
Even Romana…

What will become of me now?

Leaving the glowing device on the stack of boxes, the Doctor returns to the TARDIS.

As he enters, he turns to look back at the light.

THE DOCTOR  
One day, Sarah Jane…  
We will meet again.

The makeshift candle sheds enough light to shine on a glistening tear on the Doctor's cheek.

He closes the door behind him.


End file.
